Process of treating vegetable fibers and fabrics



vegetable fiber, such as cotton, by treatment Patented June 18, 1929.

p I 11,717,991 UNIT-ED STATES-P ATEANT OFFICE.

MARCEL MELLIAND, 0F MANNHEIM, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR. TO MELIANA CORPORA- TION OF AMERICA, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

JPROCESS OF TREATING VEGETABLE FIBERS AND FABRICS.

.No Drawing. Application filed July 25,1927, Serial No. 208,404, ani1 in Germany June 2%, 1926'. i

This invention relates to the improvement .of material comprising vegetable fiber, and in particular to such improvement effected by means of a treatment with strong hot solutions of caustic alkalies either alone or in conjunction with one or more mercerizing treatments, .and to the improved materials thereby produced. 7 p

The improvement of fabrics composed of with strong caustic alkalies, consists in a more or less extensive structural alteration of the material, which is in general combined with a morphological, chemical or physiochemical change in its composition. All the processes in which a treatment with cold caustic alkalies is used for this purpose are today designated asfimercerization, without any particular reference to the use of a certain tension or of pre-or post-treatment,

' in case only the structural changes of inchange of the formation of hydrocelluloses,

creased lustre and solidity, or the chemical carriedout repeatedly and with'variations 1 (if the working" conditions. Thus durable, bicolored crepes' can be produced advantagcously by printing caustic alkali upon mencerized goods. 'The so-called acid mer-' c'erization should bevdesignated as a com-- bination process. It is not yet clear what products are formed by these treatments, which Thies calls"progressive mercerization. They all, however, give the fiber and the fabric a characteristic stiffness, with a decrease in elacticity and an increase in the tendency to wrinkle. Thies (Newzeitliche Waschprozesse, Ed. 2, page 11) also found that because of the formation of degradation products the fibers show no increased re-,

sistance in washing in spite of the apparently increased solidity.

I' have now found that by treating material comprising vegetable fiber, such for ance a w t n fa ric wit s r ng, hot

to boiling, caustic alkalies, e. g., NaOH solution of about-50 B., without tension, that hltherto unknown effects are produced, the strength and elasticity of the fibers being raised and their curliness being increased.

designated as melianization. The materials treated by this process completely retain their character and their valuable properties in the wash. In particular they undergo no further shrinkage as do the above-mentioned hitherto known products as well -as most textile materials. A strikingly small tendency toward wrinklingds also characteristic of all--melianized products.

In the present state of the art, every technician, when once apprised thereof, will soon discover in the suitable application ofthe principles given by me, that, analogous to the course of, events in mercerization, in melianization the alterations, structural and otherwise, take place very quickly, thatis, in fractions of minutes or at most in a few minutes. If the reaction is not stopped at this point, not only is the desired result partly or wholly nullified, but the cellulose is also harmed by the rapid attack of the treating liquor on the inner substance of the fiber. The necessity for an immediate stopping of the reaction has not been recognized heretofore, although the manner in which this process should be carried out in various cases is governed by the general rules relating to the breaking off of reactions in which the critical point is dependent on both temperature and concentration.

If a loosely woven fabric is melianized by treatment with strong caustic alkalies at temperatures from 60 to 100 C., or even higher, a a great swelling of the fibers takes. place together with a characteristic curling of the fibers, and the result is an extremely soft material. similar towool. The reaction should be stopped when the curling efiect is large compared with the change in countof the yarn and when-the threads or the fabric take on; a smoothness without a noteworthy increase in the luster. In agreement with this appearance chemical investigation shows no hydrocelluloses, or at most a very small amount,- and never shows the presence of any oxycelluloses. On the other hand, if a closely woven fabric is melianized the curling eifect is somewhat less compared'with the change in count. The fabric shows an increased flexibility and pliancy but no noteworthy wool characteristics.

I have further found that, starting, for instance, with various cotton fabrics, I can obtain, according to the conditions used, varied but highly valuable materials, which often possess a striking linen or silk character,

suflicient.

beauty of the character of linen and silk.v

Similar" products are obtained when normally mercerized materials are meli'anized. In general, however, it may be said that the treatment with cold alkali after the-meliani zation is better in most cases. In this way the desired effects are obtainedwith most goods without the application of any special tension. In the case of many materials a simple saturation with the cold alkali is Examples.

Wash sz'Zla-An ordinary cotton muslin is prepared by mercerization in the usual way. Then the material is treated with 43% caustic soda at 92 C. for 3 minutes without tension, the caustic is immediately, after the structural change, driven out with boiling water, and, in case the result is not yet,

completely satisfactory, the material is impregnated with caustic soda solutionfor a short time .and this is removed without tension. If stronger caustic solutions, e. g., of 60% NaOH, are used for the melianization the feel is somewhat fuller. j

Linen.-Ordinary grey cotton goods is neither singed, desized, nor bleached, but treated with hot water, then treated for five minutes with 60% caustic soda solution at' 88 0., without tension, th oroughly washed, given a short continuous chlor in the width, led through 23 B. caustic soda solution at 18 C. for a few minutes without tension,

' and washed out. A. material is obtained of the typical character of a 3/4 white linen. An improvement-inthe feel may sometimes be obtained by a treatment in a soaping bath and souring with an organic acid.

In the application of the processes of this invention the melianizing operation can be carried out with strong caustic alkali solutions ranging from about 20 to about B., at temperatures of from about 60 C. to the boiling point of the solutions and the time of treatment will in general be from 1 to 5 minutes. i

The term cold caustic alkalisolutions as used in the specification and claims is intended to denote such solutions at ordinary temperatures not lower than 0 C.

It will thus be'evident that the present invention contemplates the treatment of materials comprising vegetable fibers by the above described melianizing operation alone or in combination with any of the known mercerizing operations.

The present application is a continuationin-part of my application Ser. No. 117 ,6i3',

filed June 21, 1926.

I claim:

1. A process for treating cotton fabrics, which comprises subjecting said materials to the action of strong hot solutions of cans:

tic alkalies for a short time, without tension, incombination with at least onemercerizing treatment. x

2. A process for treating cotton fabrics, which comprises subjecting said materials to the action of strong hot solutions of caustic alkalies for a short time, without tension,

in combination with at least one treatment 7 with cold caustic alkali solution.

3. A process for treating cotton fabrics,

' which comprises subjecting said materials to the action of a solution of a caustic alkali of from 20 B. to 70 B." at from 60 C. to the boiling point of the solution for from 1 to 5 minutes without tension, in combina tion with at least one mercerizing treatment.

4. A process for treating cotton fabrics, which comprises subjecting said materials to the action of a solution of caustic alkali of from 20 B. to 70 -B. at from 60 C. to the boiling point of the solution for from 1 to 5 minutes without tension, and thereafter treating the materials with cold caustic alkali for ashort timel a 1 5.As a new, produce, cotton fabric which is highly elastic and flexible, the fibers thereof being stronglycurled, said characteristics being permanent, particularly to washing and boiling, which fabric is made bytreating a cotton fabric with a solution of a caustic alkali of from 20 B. to 7 0 B. at

from 60 C. to 100 C. for from 1 to'5 minutes without tension, in combination with at least one treatment with cold caustic alkali solution.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

MARCEL MELLIAND, 

